“The trend is towards lighter wines with less alcohol that are easy to drink, speak of where they come from and are made with local varieties.”

Juan Pérez Vidal, Sommelier at Vinoteca Jaleo

Editorial note: an interview recovered from Winerim's archive, originally published on 11 April 2025. Roles, career references, relative dates, recommendations and assessments belong to that publication, not to a check of the current situation. Statements about Winerim are the interviewee's testimony at the time, not a guarantee of features or results.

With a career shaped by curiosity, hard work and a love of gastronomy, Juan Pérez has established himself as a prominent figure in Galician sommellerie. Currently at the helm of Vinoteca Jaleo, Juan began working in hospitality at 19. After his first steps at the now-closed Brasa, one of the best-known restaurants on Calle Juan Flórez, his career took a decisive turn at the Michelin-starred Árbore da Veira, where he discovered the deep connection between wine and the dining experience.

It was there that he understood that wine does not just accompany food, but transforms it. That revelation led him to pursue further training, studying for the professional sommelier qualification at the Instituto Galego do Viño. Since then, Juan has made his work at Jaleo a way of bringing wine closer to the public through an approachable manner, knowledge and passion.

An advocate of honest, customer-focused sommellerie, his philosophy is based on listening, understanding and guiding each person towards the bottle that best suits their moment. Today, in Sommelier Corner, he talks about his beginnings, his view of the profession and current trends, and shares personal recommendations that invite us to enjoy wine without fear or inhibitions.

1. When did your interest in the world of wine begin?

I always remember being interested in cooking and gastronomy, but when I started working at the restaurant Arbore da Veira (1 Michelin star), I began to understand that food and wine should go hand in hand, and to discover harmonies between different dishes or flavours and how certain wines took the experience of eating further. That was when I became tremendously curious about wine.

2. What qualities should a good sommelier have?

Above all, knowing how to listen to what the customer is looking for or what they are curious about regarding wine. Having the ability, through a brief conversation or a few short questions, to draw on however little or much you know to offer the best options for that table to enjoy, always with great respect and humility.

3. What is the most unusual place where you have organised or attended a wine tasting?

I remember one at the impressive Can Ràfols del Caus winery, in tribute to its driving spirit Carlos Esteva. It was very moving because of what we experienced there and all the people from the wine world who gathered at the winery.

4. What are the current trends in sommellerie?

Lighter wines, with less alcohol, easy to drink, that tell us about where they come from and are made with local varieties. New styles such as natural wines, orange wines or ancestral-method wines.

5. Recommend a white, a red, a rosé, a sparkling wine, a fortified wine and a dessert wine

  • A white: Ribeiras de Armea, a white made by José Beade in the small area of Betanzos, using mainly a local variety, Blanco Lexítimo.
  • A red: Aliaxe Fabaiños, made by Manuel Moldes in the Rías Baixas area with Espadeiro grapes.
  • A rosé: Rosete from Bodegas Cume do Avia in Ribeiro.
  • Sparkling: Burbullas das Bateas, Bodegas Pombal in Rias Baixas.
  • Fortified: Fino La Barajuela by Willy Pérez, an unfortified Palomino from Pago Carrascal.
  • A dessert wine: As Pasas dos Pasas, a tostado do Ribeiro by Luis Anxo Rodríguez made with Treixadura grapes.

Editorial note on the original terminology: the answer places Fino La Barajuela in the “fortified” category while also describing it as “sin encabezar”, translated here as “unfortified”. Both expressions from the testimony are retained. “Sin encabezar” means that alcohol is not added to fortify it, so there is a discrepancy with the category used in the interview.

“A myth? Sparkling wine is for dessert. Sparkling wines tend to be very versatile wines for accompanying meals from start to finish.”

6. What should someone with little experience of wine look for when choosing one to accompany their meal? In other words, what basic rules should a diner know to choose a good wine?

If there is a professional at the venue, restaurant or shop, talk openly with them about your tastes, an area or style you usually like, or a grape variety. They will surely advise you well. If there is no one, try to look for this information on the wine list or bottles: the area, the DO it belongs to. Labels usually give us clues that can help us.

7. Debunk a myth about wine and pairing it with food

Sparkling wine is for dessert. Sparkling wines tend to be very versatile wines for accompanying meals from start to finish.

8. What requirements must a wine meet to be a good wine?

It should be pleasant and show no faults when we bring it to our nose or mouth.

9. Steps we should follow to taste wine at an amateur level

Smell it and check that it has a good aroma, then drink it and find it pleasant and enjoyable. Nothing more. At an amateur level, we should not get tangled up or think about much more when tasting a wine. Often we try to find or look for too many things at an amateur level, and it makes us think of wine as something much more complicated than it really is. Taste and drink, that is what it all comes down to. Then, if you become more curious, there is an infinite world to discover.

10. The wine that has surprised you most recently

La Muria by Raúl Pérez, a Mencía-based wine from a vineyard in the village of Viariz in Bierzo.

11. The best value-for-money wine you have tasted

Any of the wines from bodegas Viña Zorzal in Navarra. They always offer an enormous amount at prices that are very accessible to anyone.

“I have always been a romantic about paper wine lists, but I have ended up recognising that the future lies in digitalisation, and the Winerim digital wine list has completely won me over.”

12. A traditional paper wine list or a digital wine list?

I have always been a romantic about paper wine lists, but I have ended up recognising that the future lies in digitalisation, and the Winerim digital wine list has completely won me over.

13. How does Winerim help you in your work?

It is the ideal companion for a sommelier. It lets you keep your wine list up to date at all times, remove and add wines with just one click, update prices instantly, quickly add information about your wines for your customers, and improve the profitability of your wine list. It is all advantages.

14. Finally, a piece of advice for any wine lover

Enjoy it openly, do not be afraid of wine. You do not need to know or understand wines to enjoy it. Taste, discover, and you will not regret it.